Welcome Reception for New Citizens at Armenian Heritage Park on the Greenway

Dr. Vartan Gregorian to Offer Welcome

Dr. Vartan Gregorian, president of the Carnegie Corporation of New York

On Thursday afternoon, Oct. 1, a New Citizens’ Welcome Reception will be held at Armenian Heritage Park on the Greenway. This first time Welcome Reception immediately follows the Naturalization Ceremony at historic Faneuil Hall, where foreign born men and women will take the Oath of Allegiance to become naturalized citizens, exercising their right to vote and to fully engage in democracy and the community. The Oath of Allegiance has led to American citizenship for more than 220 years, among them those from our own families.

Middlesex Sheriff Peter J. Koutoujian, at the conclusion of the Naturalization Ceremony, will extend the invitation to all new citizens, their families and friends to attend the Welcome Reception at Armenian Heritage Park on the Greenway that follows.

Dr. Vartan Gregorian, president of the Carnegie Corporation of New York, will speak during the park’s Welcome Reception.

“By appealing to a range of new American citizens, the Welcome Reception contributes decisively to Armenian Heritage Park’s core mission of inclusion,” said Armine Afeyan, of Friends of Armenian Heritage Park. “As a celebration of the immigrant experience in Boston, the welcome speaks directly to central themes of the park and the Rose Kennedy Greenway as a whole. The welcome will not only ‘acknowledge the history of Boston as a port of entry for immigrants worldwide,’ but also ‘celebrate those who…contribute to the richness of American life and culture,’ which is the park’s intent.”

The Welcome Reception is funded by the park’s Anna and Noubar Afeyan Fund, an endowed fund supporting programs at Armenian Heritage Park on the Greenway.

The program is an initiative of the Friends of Armenian Heritage Park in collaboration with the United States District Court, City of Boston/Mayor Martin J. Walsh and the Office of New Bostonians, Bostonian Society/Old State House, Faneuil Hall Marketplace and Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy.